Mike Sullivan breathed life into the Tampa offense after coming over from the Giants in 2012. / Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

One guy on a rapid rise up the NFL coaching ranks is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Sullivan, who in four years has gone from wide receivers coach to quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator.

And now, he's a head coaching candidate.

The Chicago Bears have requested permission from the Buccaneers to interview Sullivan, according to a person informed of the communication between the teams. The person, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the Bears hadn't commented on potential candidates, said the Bucs granted permission and Sullivan was expected to interview soon.

Tampa Bay finished ninth in total offense this season. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, quarterback Josh Freeman threw only five interceptions while rookie running back Doug Martin paced the ground game. Freeman did not protect the ball as well in the final few weeks of the season. He threw nine interceptions in the final three games and the offense, in turn, struggled.

Sullivan was the New York Giants wide receivers coach from 2004 to 2009, working with Plaxico Burress during the best statistical years of his career. In 2010, Sullivan became the quarterbacks coach. One year later, he helped Eli Manning set a franchise record with 4,933 passing yards on the way to a Super Bowl XLVI victory against the New England Patriots as Manning won the game's MVP honors.

The Bears could certainly use an offensive jolt after the Jay Cutler-led attack finished 28th in 2012, often offsetting an occasionally dominant defense.